I'm up early still thinking about what I encountered last night, but I walk out to explore Batopilas and hopefully find breakfast.

I enjoy people watching, but it's still too early for this town and don't find many up yet.

Nothing is open yet, but feel that I need to get moving.
The handyman at the hotel helps me get my bike out onto the street so that I can pack it up.

Today's destination is Urique, so I stop to get fuel and find more old buildings before leaving town.

It's a great day to be riding.

With all the road construction, I'm having a hard time finding the road to be on. Soon I cross the river and feel I'm heading in the right direction. But it's not long before I'm on roads that don't line up with the GPS maps and I start to get uncomfortable.
The roads turn into rough trails and I start to worry about ending up on a pot farm due to last nights endeavors.
I try several other roads but they all don't seem to line up either and finally I decided that I had enough and turned around to go back out the way I came.

20 miles outside of town, the road is blocked off.

I dig out the Spanish English translation book and these guys start to laugh. I see the humor in this as well.
Who goes deep into Mexico with very little Spanish?
I worked with the Rosetta Stone program 6 months before leaving, but have found that with the stress of all that has happened, I'm forgetting everything.
I finally put together the phrase "What time will it open?"
I'm informed not until 7 or 8 at night.
I can't ride this road again at night, I know what that looks like.
They see the stress level rise in me and offer a "mary-jew-wanna" cigarette.
Again I decline, and they start laughing again.
After building another phrase "Is there another way out?"
They team up on the GPS and start to point out towns to head for. They're speaking too fast for me to take this all in and I decide to get out my note pad and they write the names of the towns down for me.
Again the road is not on the GPS but I feel confident in their directions and turn the bike around.

The road is scenic and good for my soul, but feel that a two wheeled drive vehicle would have a hard time on it due to it's steep inclines and switchback way of meandering around obstacles.
I don't stop much knowing that today could be a long day, but when I do stop, I get uncomfortable when I hear a vehicle coming. Last nights adventure is plaguing my head, and feel as long as I keep moving I won't have to answer any questions.

The views are incredible and I start to feel more comfortable with being on a road that's not on a map when I see a military truck coming my way.

I finally reach a town I believe is Carbonetas and pull up to a store to get something to eat.
"Buenos Dias".
And the response I get is "Buenos tarde".
I'm shocked to see that it's 12:30 already. I find something to eat in the unlit and understocked store, but am surprised to find Pepsi. I haven't seen this since entering Mexico.

I share the cookies with the lady running the store and what I believe to be her mother.

I look at the GPS and discover that I'm barely half way. This is going to be a really long day.
The road gets smoother and I'm starting to get more comfortable with stopping and taking pictures.

I'm not sure why, but when I reach blacktop road I'm relieved. I love dirt roads and traveling off-road, but today has been a long day and it feels good to have reached it.

I finally reach the blacktop road I rode on yesterday and start to take my time taking in the sites.

I stop to relieve myself and disturb this couple.

These grasshoppers are almost 2 inches long, they're huge by Arizona standards.

I pull into Creel, 10 hours after I left Batopilas.

These young boys come up to see the lonely Gringo and the monster of a bike he pulled in on.
KTM magnetismo.
Future adventure riders.

It's time to unwind and I think about what I encountered last night. All the stories of decapitations, thefts, and hostage takings that you hear about in the US.
Nothing happened. I gave respect and they gave respect. They weren't interested in harming me, they just want to make sure I wasn't there to interrupt there business.
Nothing happened, sure it was a scary ordeal, but it was the stories I hear from the news and people that hurt me the most in this situation and of course the movie "Turistas" that I watched in Durango.